Wisdom from the SITI Company -The Viewpoints

Notes on Viewpoints and Composition Training from Saratoga, Summer 2004

In most of our everyday action we are unconsciously moving, unconsciously doing most things. If we were conscious of everything all the time, we’d probably go mad. Bring awareness to your action. Sensation and perception - sensation is internal, perception external.

 All action/ life tends to entropy. In theatre we act against this to make it interesting. Add more energy in each moment and build it throughout the performance to make it unlike life.

 Action becomes interesting when it is not “I am picking up a cup because ... (insert psychology here)”, but “what am I doing? What is picking up a cup?”

It’s not what the actor is attempting, but what the actor is tempting - the nature of taking risk.

- We have a tendency to react/ respond then turn off, wait for 4 or 5 things to happen then react again. ‘I’ve reacted, now I can rest for a while.’ Don’t be distracted by your own reaction.

 Fill the space in your body before you fill the space around you - especially important in re to shape. Whatever you’re doing, take it to its biggest extent, do it more.

 Techna - Greek for art. While imagination is important art cannot be created without some form of technique.

 Desperation leads to bad habits. These are 3 things Anne can’t stand in Viewpoints

- starting a rhythm

- Stopping dead still and looking around in panic

- pulling and pushing your fellow performers.

Connection to the audience and the ensemble. You have an agreement with both.

Be specific. Everything you do was meant to happen when and how it did. Be surprised, but don’t show it.

 Your partner will support you, but don’t rely on them for cues.

Aim for group unity and then find the difference within.

 Pay as much attention to where you aren’t as you do to where you are.

 Your body is speaking right now. It must be as articulate as your voice.

-The moment between action is so important - invest each with energy, pushing more energy into each.

“I’m not so much interested in the event, but what comes after it. Don’t do something and end up thinking ‘ok now what?’. Don’t stop and switch off. Where does it lead to?”

 Make it for the audience.

 “There’s a fine line between clever and stupid” Spinal Tap

 Risk more - don’t be safe and clever. Take it to where you don’t know what will happen.

Vocal Viewpoints create a different sense during the session. You listen harder, you can connect across the space much easier thru the text. It makes you think on a number of levels simultaneously.

 Constantly ask yourself “What am I doing? What are we doing?”

Fill each action to make it the most it can be. Walking through the space, leaning on a wall can all be exciting, riveting, watchable moments in themselves. Don’t make them dismissible, arbitrary, in-between moments.

 “Err on the side of coming together.” Although you don’t have to.

 There are 4 types of energy:

 Vertical - relationship with the gods, used in Suzuki, usually used when we are far apart from people.

Horizontal - relationship with people and nature, used in viewpoints, usually used when we are close to people,

Heavy - childhood energy, abandonment, throwing your weight, risk

Light - old person energy, the energy of injured or infirm.

At its worst Suzuki is too vertical and Viewpoints too horizontal.

 Look for the group event rather than the diversity. The diversity will come in the group event anyway.

 Will and Grace. Will is what you put out - it is your destiny. What you get back is the grace. We work so hard that it is important to take something from it. Take the sense of the grace into you as you perform.

 The impulse to give the partner an interesting journey is an empathic, directorial impulse. You want others to feel your sense of what grace would be.

 You don’t need an involved sense of subtext to create meaning. By alternating and experimenting with vocal viewpoints you alter the meaning.

 There is nothing more annoying than an actor who is not willing to experiment with their lines. You never know what can be discovered, even by something as abstract as playing with timbre.

Courage. “Watch me try to do this.” rather than “I think I can do this.”

 “Cleverness is the death of truth. Only problem is that’s a clever aphorism.”

 Freedom and responsibility. What does being free mean? How do you be true to what is real freedom - which in itself is your true responsibility?